Nikkei falls to 2-week low as hedge funds take profits before quarter end

* Nikkei heads for biggest daily drop in 11 weeks
* Hedge funds take profits before Jan-March quarter ends -
traders
* All subsectors in negative territory
By Ayai Tomisawa
TOKYO, March 27 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average
tumbled to a two-week low on Friday, led by futures selling as
hedge funds took profits from recent gains.
The Nikkei benchmark fell 1.7 percent to 19,141.62
points after falling to as low as 19,099.87 in mid-afternoon
trade, the lowest level since March 13. Earlier in the day, it
rose to as high as 19,590.03.
It looked set for its biggest daily drop in 11 weeks.
"Hedge funds and commodity trading advisors are seen taking
profits and unwinding their options positions before the first
quarter ends," said a senior trader at a foreign brokerage.
The Nikkei hit a 15-year high of 19,778.60 on Monday.
Exporters also suffered, with Toyota Motor Corp
falling 2.0 percent, Honda Motor Co dropping 2.1
percent and Nikon Corp shedding 3.6 percent.
The broader Topix dropped 1.8 percent to 1,541.27,
with all of its 33 subsectors in the red. The JPX-Nikkei Index
400 declined 1.7 percent to 14,021.16.
(Editing by Eric Meijer & Kim Coghill)